LEVAPOR porous, adsorbing carrier for

bioprocess improvement
Dr. Imre Pascik LEVAPOR GmbH
www. levapor.com Leverkusen, Germany
About us
Innovative Organization
Fixed Film Based Process Solutions
Complex Effluent, Municipal Wastewater,
Polluted Gas
CEO Dr. Imre Pascik
40 years of experience with Bayer AG,
Environmental Bio Technology Centre,
Leverkusen
About us
Development of innovative processes
Two Step nitrification of high Ammonia
containing effluents
Landfill Leachate Treatment
Bayer Tower Biology (Otto Award)
Degradation of toxic effluents using
Anaerobic-Aerobic Processes
About Us
Biodegradation of pollutants occurs
via teamwork of microorganisms
united
in sludge flocs

Important result of research :
Some important, non-flocculating
organisms will be washed out from
bioreactor, resulting reduced plant
efficiency
Solution: Biofilm technology
via immobilisation, cell growth on
solid surfaces, carriers made of
plastics, sand, glass, etc.

Target: Synthesis of biocarrier

Our REQUESTS on OPTIMAL CARRIER

PROPERTY EFFECT

1. Adsorbing capacity - binding toxic pollutants
- fast colonization + bio film
- fast start up at high level

2. Porosity, high inner surface - protection of the biofilm
(high biomass content) - high space-time-yields

3. Fast wetting - homogenous fluidisation

4. Water binding - mass transport, bioactivity
5. Proper fluidisation - lower energy consumption
Our Technology
LEVAPOR Bio Carrier
First synthesized Bio Carrier
Porous, Flexible, Durable PU foam
impregnated with surface active pigments like
activated carbon
Due to variability of foam and pigment type
and their ratios, tailor made carriers can be
produced with varying properties
Our Technology
Properties
High Adsorbing Surface
15 to 50 kg of activated
carbon per m3 of foam
matrix
PU foam surface area 2500
m2/m3
1000-2000 m2/g surface
area of activated carbon
Extremely high adsorbing
surface

Benefits:
Reversible Adsorption
Rapid microbial colonization
and biofilm formation
Temporary adsorption of
toxic and inhibitory
substances
Subsequent biodegradation
and thus regeneration of
surface

Properties
High Internal Porosity

Benefits
Discrete microbial colonies
and Biofilm growth inside
pores
Prevention of complete
wash out due to excessive
shear
Establishment of substrate
and DO gradients enabling
anoxic zones
Feast-Famine conditions

Properties
Hydrophilic Surface
Polyether based hydrophilic
PU foam
Fast Wetting and Water
binding
Lower colonized weight
100-120 kg/m3
Benefits
Higher microbial affinity and
thus faster colonization
Better mass transfer and
diffusion coefficients
Better fluidization and
lower energy consumption
Advantages
Treatment of effluents containing toxic substances
Short process start up and higher performance compared to
suspended mass based systems (100 to 300%)
Higher process stability against toxic shock loads and
fluctuations in reactor conditions
Lower Degree of Filling (12 to 15%)
Smaller foot print
Lower energy consumption for fluidization
Lower sludge production
Simpler process control
Lab Trials
Biodegradation of toxic 2-
Chloroaniline (2-CA)
in two parallel discontinuously
operated aerobic lab plants
In the first 2 hours 2-CA became ca.
65% adsorbed, on LEVAPOR , while
toxicity in the medium dropped .
Biodegradation of 2-CA in LEVAPOR-
reactor started and completed after
240 hours.
Quantity of released Cl

ions
confirmed a quantitative
degradation.
2-CA in the reactor without LEVAPOR
has not been degraded.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
conc.(mM)
2-CA-immobil.
0 hr.
240 hr
2-CA susp.org.
Cl
-
immobil.
adsorption on
LEVAPOR
Applications
Up gradation/expansion of existing plants
Anaerobic-Aerobic treatment of high strength , slowly bio
degradable pollutants
Nitrification- de nitrification of effluents containing high
ammonia concentrations
Biological Treatment of Polluted air/gas (BTF)
Biofilm reactor MBBR/IFAS for the treatment of industrial
and municipal wastewater
Treatment of hyper saline effluents containing solvents
Treatment of land fill leachate and groundwater
containing PAHs.
SAPPI,GERMANY
SAPPI EFFLUENT TREATMENT PLANT:
South Africa Pulp and Paper Industry, Ehingen, Germany
Sulfite based pulp and paper industry
Application of Chlorine for bleaching
High Concentration of toxic, weakly bio degradable
chloro-organic compounds (AOX-90 mg/lit)
Strong Stream : COD 45 t/d @ 10 MLD
Weak Stream : COD 2.45 t/d @ 3.5 MLD
SAPPI,GERMANY
Lab scale testing Anaerobic or Aerobic?
Aerobic treatment with
suspended bio mass
Only 40-45 % COD
elimination
Anaerobic-Aerobic
Treatment ?
Anaerobic reactors using
different bio carriers

SAPPI,GERMANY
1 :Levapor
2: Activated Carbon
3: Unmodified PU foam
4: Suspended Bio mass
Impact of Carriers on Methane Production
SAPPI,GERMANY
Solution :
Anaerobic Treatment Using Levapor Carriers
Reactor Size only 15000 m3 instead of 65000m3 with
suspended bio mass
1500 m3 of Levapor media
66-70% COD removal
Further 50% of COD removal in Aerobic Treatment
50,000 m3 less volume

SAPPI,GERMANY
Startup: 1990, only 2 of 3 ANA-reactors were started with LEVAPOR
in order to compare the effect of immobilisation.

After few weeks a toxic shock has stopped the reactor without LEVAPOR

~ 85 % COD- removal , 4 6 t/d sludge, 14.000 m/d biogas
SAPPI,GERMANY
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41
susp.biomass
May 90 June 90
immob. biomass
kgCOD/m x day
Case Studies
City of NINGAN Wastewater treatment Plant
Heilongjiang Province , China
4,40,000 Population
Very Cold climate during winter
Difficulty in maintaining nitrification during
winter
Stricter Legal discharge limits
NINGAN,WWTP
Solution :
3200 m3 of aeration tank
volume
480m3 of Levapor Bio
carrier
15% Filling
20 X 20 X 7 mm size
20- 22 MLD flow
3.2 -3.8 hours HRT
Started in October 2010

2013 Performance
Summary
Wider Fluctuations in
inlet COD (96 - 670
ppm)
Lower Temperatures
(5.1 - 21 Degree C)
Outlet COD (9 - 49.6
mg/lit)
86.3 % Mean COD
reduction( 61.9 -97.4%)
285 days COD < 39
mg/lit
NH4.N /TN Reduction
For 182 days NH4.N
reduction >=80%
Min. NH4.N outlet :0.1
mg/lit

Nitrogen Trends

NINGAN, CHINA
88-90 % COD and 91-93% NH4.N reduction
despite decreasing temperature and shorter
HRTs
Remarkable process stability against temp,
COD, TKN variations
Lower level of nitrate confirming
denitrification
Lower capital and operational cost

LEVAPOR: IFAS
Single Basin Construction
12 to 15 % Filling
Loading Rates 2.5 to 4
Kg.COD/m3.day
8-10 mm retention screens
Lower mixing energy
requirement :
2-3 mg/lit Bulk DO
4-7 Nm3/m2.hr mixing air
Up to 35% reactor volume
saving compared to plastic
media
How Can We Associate
Problem analysis for the treatment of high strength
industrial and municipal wastewater treatment
Define treatment goals and conceptual process
design
Development of optimal process and parameters
Manufacturing of high performance tailor made bio
carriers for the application
Process Start up

Thank You !!!!